Rand Paul Heritage Speech: A Call For A "Saner, More Balanced" Foreign Policy

Sen. Rand Paul played the part of a wonk during his speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation today, calling for the U.S. to recreate President Ronald Reagan’s “robust, but constrained” approach to foreign policy.

Paul said he would like to pursue “a foreign policy that strikes a balance” between interventionism and isolationism, and said that while intervention was an option in international crises, he would prefer to find a stance which “works within the confines of our Constitution and the reality of our fiscal crisis.”

He struck a decisively non-consensus view of some issues, challenging the American policy of prevention rather than containment on the Iranian nuclear program. “It’s unwise to say that we should never contain a nuclear Iran,” Paul said. “War should never be the only option.”

Paul repeatedly emphasized that he thought any foreign military intervention which occurred without the tacit consent of the governing body of that nation constituted an act of war and should never occur without the approval of Congress, as outlined in the Constitution.

“Should our military be building this nation… or constantly building other nations?” Rand asked. “We can’t afford endless occupation,” he continued.

"I will fight to have a saner, more balanced approach to foreign policy," Rand concluded.